Thai Editorial: Why Can't We Learn From Past Experience?

[webfact]

EDITORIAL
Why can't we learn from past experience?
The Nation

Thais suffer year after year from inadequate contingency planning to mitigate the effects of extreme weather and natural disasters

BANGKOK: -- Everyone will have to be prepared for drought this year, which could hit the livelihood of several million farmers. The responsible agencies therefore must keep the public informed of the situation to make people more aware of the need to conserve water.

At the same time, the central government and agencies must lay down a long-term sustainable plan for water-resource management and drought prevention. Thailand is still an agriculture-based country, with millions of farmers relying on a consistent water supply to earn their living and feed the nation. At the same time, daily consumption of water by households is steadily increasing.

There is already evidence that the drought this year could be one of the worst ever, with low water levels in several dams in the Northeast. The Sirikit Dam is currently holding only 1,239 million cubic metres, just 18.60 per cent of its capacity. In the same period last year, the water level stood at 5,729 million cubic metres, or 60.24 per cent of capacity.

Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra recently warned that the drought conditions in many provinces could intensify in coming months. Unfortunately, the government's massive Bt350-billion water-management project, which is supposed to tackle flooding and drought issues, will not materialise anytime soon, despite it being initiated in the wake of the 2011 flood disaster. The government still seems inadequately prepared for extreme weather and natural disasters, in spite of earlier warnings about possible drought this year.

The government's rice price-pledging scheme has encouraged millions of farmers to plant extra crops in the off-season, hoping to cash in on the populist programme. Unfortunately, as the paddy starts to grow in the hot season, many of these farmers might be unable to harvest their extra crop because the water supply is insufficient.

The Irrigation Department has issued a warning to farmers, saying that they must limit the use of water for crops to save it for household consumption through the dry season. Farmers are advised not to plant rice off-season using the Lam Takhong, Lam Sae and Lam Mul Bon water sources, where levels could be too low to meet household demand during the hottest time of the year. At the same time, serious drought has extended to the North, particularly in provinces where off-season rice farming is common.

The government has to be prepared to declare some areas natural-disaster zones, and it must get its water-management policy in order and up and running, especially now that it has Bt350 billion in its purse.

Unfortunately, farmers and the public are still getting contradictory messages. The rice price-pledging scheme has exacerbated the drought situation because it encourages farmers to plant more rice and use more water, leading to a massive surplus of low-quality rice with higher production costs. Drought is an inevitable consequence.

The results are disheartening indeed. Dried-up rivers and parched, cracked earth are telling images in several rural provinces. Livestock farmers have to move their cattle to more remote areas to find grazing land because they can't get enough water to replenish grasslands. Some farmers have to sell their cattle cheaply because they are unable to feed them. Some are left with no choice, and end up selling their animals simply to cut their losses.

Drought this year should not have reached the severe level it has, since the government has had all the resources needed to avoid the problem. It has failed yet again to ease the effects of extreme weather and natural disaster due to inadequate preparation and conflicting policies. The lesson from the flood disaster two years ago has not been learned.


-- The Nation 2013-03-27

[bigbamboo]

It's a puzzle, isn't it?

Thais aren't interested in what happened 500 years ago so why worry about what happened 500 days ago.

[NongKhaiKid]

It's a puzzle, isn't it?

Thais aren't interested in what happened 500 years ago so why worry about what happened 500 days ago.

They also have an " all right on the night " attitude so everything is left to the last minute

[MaxLee]

Why can't we learn from past experience?

And the answer to this question is: FACE

The Thai Chinese Elite on top doesn't want to lose face, and so they keep on ripping their nation off by all means possible and keep on deluding the International public "that they will do everything to solve a problem", but in reality do nothing. That's Thai-(Chinese) government's ministries, aka mafias need their taxpayers money to campaign their schemes aka scams just to create their FACE aka rip off more money from the taxpayers and businesses. And if you're a foreigner and don't know any Thai language and Thai Law, that's even better, because you will be ripped of anyway due to the language barriers...

All those projected powerpoint presentations about "Oh, we care, you this is our master-flood-drought-plan, isn't it beautiful on our powerpoint-presentation", towards the International community boards is just a facade to cover up what's REALLY going on behind closed doors, under the table, underground...

The other thing is, why would the Thai-(Chinese) Elite on top want to change, if they can buy and get away with corruption and even murder.

The point here is, when high-status personalities are in power they BUY themselves out of mistakes, accountability AND criminal wrongdoings and murder

Money can bail out mistakes and save face in Thailand...

[noitom]

"Why can't we learn?" Seems to be a great mantra for Thailand for many things.

[thomash]

Why?? Because of the huge emphasis in Thailand on saving face and caring more about appearance then substance which is more important then anything else such as learning from past experience or even saving lives. And how are you going to learn from past experiences if you do not even want to look at or admit making a mistake in order to save face or look good. I mean last year the government spent a large amount of money having a party congragulating themselves on what a great job they did concerning the flooding crisis, talk about trying to save face!

[TomTao]

The ability to learn is closely linked to the desire to learn, you won't learn if you don't want to, and therein lies the problem.

[Markaew]

Easy answer: ignorance and/or profit.

[Locationthailand]

Why can't we learn? There has to be a willingness to learn. From experience here Thai's want it all to themselves and love to suck ideas from the farang but never want to pay for it or include the farang in the overall results. It's a one way street and Thai's will not change. We just have to work within 'their' system and apply their rules. JIT management does not work but try telling that to them - they will just smile back.

[reiltin]

Tales that only children would believe...here's another.

Three Little Pigs is a fairy tale featuring 3 pigs who build three houses of different materials. A big bad wolf is able to blow down the yellow and red pigs houses,the red pigs house is made of straw and the yellow pigs house is made of wood, but is unable to destroy the white pig's house, made of bricks,so the big bad wolf makes a deal with the red pigs,he won't burn down their house! he'll pay for gas and let them take the furniture and the 50"flat screen TV before they blow the White pigs house to smithereens,they happily agree-And all (apart from one red pig Somchai,who overburdened by the weight of 200 tablet computers wasn't able to run as fast as the others) lived happy ever after.

[LuckyLew]

Unless something drastic happens to knock the rich, powerful and elite of their pedestal

nothing will change. This is a country where the rich get richer and the poor stay poor

[ballpoint]

It is hard to learn from history when someone is continually rewriting it.

[Hornell]

A couple of points from this article - actually a lot more, but space precludes.....

The first is the statement that "Thailand is still an agriculture-based country, with millions of farmers relying on a consistent water supply to earn their living and feed the nation." OK, but for as long as Thais have been farming there have been droughts and floods and different regions adapted to their particular conditions - until that is, populist schemes like the rice pledging altered farmers' priorities. There never has been a "consistent supply of water" in this country and there never will be. The government's flood/drought plans are just so much hot air and are unlikely to be effected anytime soon - or ever.

The second point worth mentioning is the fact that the government insisted on water being let out of most of the dams in the second half of last year to 'make room for' the expected water from the heavy rains that never came; less an example of forward planning than hindsight management, which is of course what they excel at.

[MaxLee]

The feudal high status Thai-Chinese people in power just don't wanna learn, they just want the taxpayers' money by all means necessary, over dead bodies...

[A Member]

It's a puzzle, isn't it?

Thais aren't interested in what happened 500 years ago so why worry about what happened 500 days ago.

They also have an " all right on the night " attitude so everything is left to the last minute

Why do today what you can put off until tomorrow, if not indefinitely ?

[chainarong]

Well without being to severe on the country of Thailand and I guess others fit the same bill, there's to much talking and not enough action, in a nut shell you need to commit and until you do you will just keep on talking, that's far cheaper than doing anything.

[Thai at Heart]

The ability to learn from past mistakes, presumes that the causes of the mistakes are investigated impartially, and the findings given to the people in unadulterated form so that people can study them.

As an example wasn't it George Soros who caused the 97 crash, not irresponsible borrowing of USD and lending practices in the country?

So, as yet, do we know for example exactly the cause of the floods? Was it the rain, was it management of the dams, was it political manipulation of the management of the dams in order to allow rice to be harvested?

So unless a truly independent inquiry happens and the those at fault pointed out, the decision making that led to the mess explained, what hope can there be of anyone working out what they should glean from the mess? Accepting that people make mistakes, instead of hiding it to save face, means that mistakes will keep getting made.

Then last but not least, once the problem is identified, unfortunately, you need everyone to comply to stop the mistake happening again, so you need some enforcement. How is the smoke in Chiangmai? Good to see that everyone stopped burning the countryside, even though it is plainly obvious the problems it causes.

Edited March 27, 2013 by Thai at Heart

[DocN]

Why would you want to learn from the past?

No one ever does anything wrong!

[FarangTalk]

Why can't we learn from past experience?

Simple answers to that question.

• Belief in superstitious, irrational nonsense over science and fact
• An education system designed to prevent creative thinking, individuality and critical analysis
• A complete lack of awareness of World history and major events in the last century
• A mythical and false history perpetuated by deliberate and careful lies and propaganda
• A false belief they are somehow superior to other surrounding countries and their peoples
• A culture of personality worship
• Fear of questioning something they suspect is wrong (see point 2)
• A culture of bullying and thuggery from the moo baan all the way to government house (see above)
• Emphasis on money worship, wealth and status over education and advancement
• A culture of intellectual property theft rather than invention and ingenuity (due to above)
• An education system where nobody fails, and qualifications are simply purchased
• A lack of emotional maturity

The simple fact is while countries like the UK had 200 years to complete an industrial, social and cultural revolution, Thailand is trying to do it within 20. It isn't possible. Best we can hope for is that Thailand bumbles along as usual without any major catastrophe however I think social upheaval is inevitable, and while unfortunate in the short term it will be essential in the longer term to address some of the issues I listed above.

[atyclb]

Many good answers not to mention the moribund education system that does not train the mind "how to think", then the cultural values that shun opinion/ making waves. Add cheating and corruption EVERYWHERE and the result is a largely incompetent society. Profuse apologies to those high function, smart and honest people with integrity that I call my friends(they know who they are)

[ZhouZhou]

lesson to learn.

- there will be weather

- there will be droughts

- there will be floods

[keithet]

It is a shame and I feel sad for the farmers trying to make a living and also people having to sell their livestock.

It seems that the people in power of these issues only report the problem and actually do nothing about solving it.

As a foreigner there is really nothing we can do about it. (Or is there? Im not sure?) It is a big problem for Thailand so therefore it is a shame that the problem falls on the Thai people trying to make a living. From what I have seen they work really hard to make that living, the farmers that is.

I wish there is a way to help these kind of isues!

[ZhouZhou]

It is a shame and I feel sad for the farmers trying to make a living and also people having to sell their livestock.

It seems that the people in power of these issues only report the problem and actually do nothing about solving it.

As a foreigner there is really nothing we can do about it. (Or is there? Im not sure?) It is a big problem for Thailand so therefore it is a shame that the problem falls on the Thai people trying to make a living. From what I have seen they work really hard to make that living, the farmers that is.

I wish there is a way to help these kind of isues!

floods, drought and weather were there before people tried to make a living and before that floods, drought and weather weren't a problem.

[Thai at Heart]

It is a shame and I feel sad for the farmers trying to make a living and also people having to sell their livestock.

It seems that the people in power of these issues only report the problem and actually do nothing about solving it.

As a foreigner there is really nothing we can do about it. (Or is there? Im not sure?) It is a big problem for Thailand so therefore it is a shame that the problem falls on the Thai people trying to make a living. From what I have seen they work really hard to make that living, the farmers that is.

I wish there is a way to help these kind of isues!

floods, drought and weather were there before people tried to make a living and before that floods, drought and weather weren't a problem.

Ah, but there was a point at which farmers used to simply grow stuff to feed themselves. Can there be a crop anywhere in the world that is more wasteful of such a precious resource as water, as rice?

[monkeycountry]

"The government's rice price-pledging scheme has encouraged millions of farmers to plant extra crops in the off-season, hoping to cash in on the populist programme. Unfortunately, as the paddy starts to grow in the hot season, many of these farmers might be unable to harvest their extra crop because the water supply is insufficient."

My suggestion is that when the farmers start blocking roads blaming the government for their problems, the PTP ask the farmers to simply inform authorities how much rice they INTENDED to pledge, and then pay the farmers for that. This way drought and flood problems will be eliminated. Thailand will not lose much more money than it already does, as the currently pledged rice is not sold or used anyway, so might as well be imaginary rice. Imaginary rice also cost alot less to store and transport.

[monkeycountry]

It is a shame and I feel sad for the farmers trying to make a living and also people having to sell their livestock.

It seems that the people in power of these issues only report the problem and actually do nothing about solving it.

As a foreigner there is really nothing we can do about it. (Or is there? Im not sure?) It is a big problem for Thailand so therefore it is a shame that the problem falls on the Thai people trying to make a living. From what I have seen they work really hard to make that living, the farmers that is.

I wish there is a way to help these kind of isues!

Don't forget that these same farmers are knowingly enriching themselves by protesting in order to force the PTP government to buy their rice at 50% above market price. The farmers know of course that the tax payers will lose a lot of money this way, but not one of them has suggested that the pledging price should be lowered to reflect the market and thereby ease the burden on the tax payers.

Since the PTP government has clearly sided with the farmers, I for one welcome this drought, as it seems to be the only way to at least partly prevent the rice pledging scam.

[Traveling Sailor]

Why can't we learn?? Let's see, Thais are taught to do as I say, not as I do. Their public school system does not teach them Critical Thinking. They are taught not to question authority. They are taught to accept what is with a smile.

Need I say more?

[khaowong1]

"Why can't we learn?" Seems to be a great mantra for Thailand for many things.

This should be on welcoming banners at the airport.. WELCOME TO THAILAND - WHY CAN'T WE LEARN?

[dighambara]

It is a shame and I feel sad for the farmers trying to make a living and also people having to sell their livestock.

It seems that the people in power of these issues only report the problem and actually do nothing about solving it.

As a foreigner there is really nothing we can do about it. (Or is there? Im not sure?) It is a big problem for Thailand so therefore it is a shame that the problem falls on the Thai people trying to make a living. From what I have seen they work really hard to make that living, the farmers that is.

I wish there is a way to help these kind of isues!

floods, drought and weather were there before people tried to make a living and before that floods, drought and weather weren't a problem.

Ah, but there was a point at which farmers used to simply grow stuff to feed themselves. Can there be a crop anywhere in the world that is more wasteful of such a precious resource as water, as rice?

This last has taken the cake...LOL

Many desert countries with much less water than Thailand, readily grow rice. California, for example, is mostly desert, yet proper water management allows for th growing of all types of crops, including rice, in abundance. Need we compare Israel to Thailand concening productivity..??

[ZhouZhou]

"Why can't we learn?" Seems to be a great mantra for Thailand for many things.

This should be on welcoming banners at the airport.. WELCOME TO THAILAND - WHY CAN'T WE LEARN?

why at the airport? that would not make any sense as a welcome banner.

makes me wonder what kind of a sign you put on your door.

Edited March 27, 2013 by ZhouZhou